More than 43,000 acres have burned, and 600 firefighters tackled the High Park fire today. By tomorrow, Type One Team Incident spokesman Steve Segin estimates the firefighter count will reach 680 , and 100 engines will be out protecting homes and other structures.

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a disaster declaration Tuesday, allocating $20 million to the state's Disaster Emergency Fund.

The fund — which comes from the Major Medical Insurance Fund and the Perpetual Base Account of the Severance Tax Fund — will be used for High Park fire fire-fighting efforts.

Larimer County or other assisting agencies can request resource reimbursement from the fund. But, under state law, people who lost homes or property cannot seek fund reimbursement.

In the Executive Order, Hickenlooper officially declared a state of disaster emergency and the activation of the National Guard following verbal orders given earlier this week.

"The High Park fire's proximity to numerous homes, property, and critical infrastructure poses an imminent danger to life and property and, therefore, constitutes a disaster for the purpose of the Act," the Executive Order read.

At an afternoon press briefing, an emergency official said crews have dug firelines on northeast and southeast portions of the High Park fire, but noted the massive blaze is still "very active."

"We haven't turned the corner on this, but we have made progress," Segin said.

Segin said firefighters can go directly up to the fire's edge at the southeast corner, and containment now becomes a system of "connect the dots".

"Once you start building lines like this, you just start connecting the dots," Segin said. "Dot to dot to dot."

Segin said the western flank of the fire is mostly wilderness with many beetle-killed trees, and has the least values at risk.

Firefighters aren't focused there now, he said, due to the extra danger beetle-killed trees create for crews.

"Any day Mother Nature can help is a good day," Segin said.

Twenty-five notifications to evacuate were issued this afternoon for the High Park fire burning in Larimer County.

The sheriff's office reports that the entire Pingree Park Road area — to include Hourglass and Comanche Reservoirs, east on the Buckhorn Road up to and including Pennock Pass, northeast to the intersection of Stove Prairie Road and Colorado 14, and west to the intersection of Colorado 14 and Pingree Park Road — has been ordered to evacuate.

High Park Fire evacuee Shawna Armstrong, left, makes her way out of a community meeting at The Ranch in Loveland, Tuesday, June 12, 2012, after learning more about the fast-moving fire. She thinks her home was destroyed, in Rist Canyon area. (THE DENVER POST | RJ Sangosti)

Th High Park fire, that started Saturday with a lightning strike, ranks as the third-largest fire in Colorado history. Of the burn area, 70 percent is private land and 30 percent is national forest land.

Hickenlooper visited the fire this afternoon. While he was there, President Barack Obama phoned to make sure enough federal resources were being devoted to fighting the High Park fire.

Hickenlooper told him "we have the best firefighters in the country here."

Skies over the fire area should be mostly sunny today and the high temperature should top out at about 73 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Winds will blow out of the southeast, mostly between 10 to 13 mph, but gusts could hit 21 mph.

At the end of the day Monday, the total cost of fighting the fire was pegged at about $1.6 million. Bill Hahnenberg, the U.S. Forest Service Type One Incident Management Team commander, said about $400,000 of the total was spent Monday.

Today there are five heavy air tankers, five SEATs (single engine air tankers), four Type 1 heavy helitankers, three Type 2 helicopters, four Type 3 helicopters and three Blackhawk helicopers.

Fire officials plan to have up to 800 firefighters on the ground later this week, Hahnenberg said.

The northeast portion of the fire is still a major concern, although firefighters were able to anchor the southwest corner of the fire, incident command reported on its web site.

Areas where homes or structures have been burned include Rist Canyon, Paradise Park, Poudre Canyon, Poudre Park and Stove Prairie — along Old Flowers Road.

Some containment has been established on the east flank of the fire; crews are working today on the west and south sides of the fire to try and establish lines there, as well.

The fire has jumped across the Poudre River on the northwest side of the zone, a development that has firefighters concerned.

Currently, the south flank of the fire is the most problematic, Hahnenberg said, because of heavy fire fuels and densely packed residences. The west side of the fire is hardest to access because of steep terrain.

This morning, the Larimer sheriff sent pre-evacuation notifications to parts of Glacier View for the area south of County Road 74E (Red Feather Lakes Road), south and east of McNay Hill. This includes 89 phone lines for residents on Hewlett Gulch Road, Deer Meadow Way, Gordon Creek Lane and connecting roadways in that area. The roads in that area are closed to residents only.

Residents of the small community of Stout, at the southern tip of Horsetooth Reservoir, were allowed to return to their homes at noon today.

The general evacuation area is west of Horsetooth Reservoir, north of Masonville, east of Pennock Pass and south of Colorado 14. Additional evacuation area includes area north of Colorado 14 from Hewlett Gulch to 287 and north to Eagles Nest.

Last night, 15 evacuated people stayed at The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland, in the McKee Building.

The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army are staffing the site and aiding the evacuees. Many evacuees from the fire are staying with family and friends. Some are using hotels and motels in the Fort Collins area.

On Tuesday morning, a hot breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon was prepared in a Salvation Army mobile kitchen. Coffee, doughnuts and other assorted foods were also available.

Tom Garduno, 52, a construction worker who was laid off in September, is volunteering at the shelter.

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

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